The art of the quick change is unique to live theater. Since the days of commedia dell'arte, actors have dazzled audiences with changes of character and costume that happen with the speed and ease of a light switch being flipped.

"The 39 Steps" seems like an unlikely candidate for such treatment. Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 movie is crammed with feats of derring-do. And it has characters – a merry mess of them – to tell a twisting story that spans the British Isles from south to north and back again.

Somehow, a theatrical adaptation of Hitchcock's movie manages to cover all of its many episodes and present every character. Four actors, using little more than a few chairs and one or two crucial puffs of stage smoke, recreate Hitchcock's man-on-the-run classic, including the famous chase scenes on a moving train.

Written by British theater veteran Patrick Barlow, "The 39 Steps" has enjoyed successful runs in London's West End and on Broadway (where it won two Tonys), and a national touring production visited Los Angeles in 2010. A version opening this weekend at the Laguna Playhouse will be its Orange County debut.

The Register talked recently to Kevin Bigger, the director of the Laguna production, and two of its four actors: Dan Fenaughty, who plays the dashing hero, Richard Hannay; and Larissa Klinger, who plays the major female roles.

The Orange County Register: What's it like to rehearse a play that needs to be so precisely timed from beginning to end?

Kevin Bigger: It's sort of like backwards rehearsal. I learned in working on the original Broadway production that all the movement is already 98 percent figured out before the first rehearsal, so the first half of the rehearsal process is learning the elaborate choreography of the show. After that has been learned and the actors' bodies are used to it, then we fill out the characters.

Register:What is it like as an actor to work with a highly pre-determined script?

Dan Fenaughty: I think that it's ultimately a very freeing process because you get this elaborate skeleton that you can build upon. This is the second time I've done the show with Kevin. It's virtually the same blocking that we used the first time we put it up. But I found I've explored different things (this time around) because I already knew the skeleton and had a basis to build on. Now it's a deeper, richer experience.

Register:The other two actors play a huge gallery of characters. Do you know how many?

Bigger: Not exactly; I've heard about 150. I've never bothered to count specifically. They even go so far as to play rocks and trees and windows. So I guess it all depends on whether or not you count those as characters!

Register:Dan, what's your most challenging moment? You have a lot of athletic scenes.

Fenaughty: My most harrowing moment is when we build the Forth Bridge. I have to climb up on top of these ladders then slip underneath them, and of course make it all look heroic. It involves a lot of ladders and trunks and steam. The first time I ever rehearsed it I misplaced my hand in front of my shirt and somehow tore my shirt completely in half. That's never happened since.

Register:What are your challenges, Larissa?

Larissa Klinger: In the first act I play three women. That keeps me busy. One of the things that started as a challenge but now is enjoyable is doing all the wig changes. We have a terrific crew backstage to help. We're also very lucky to have someone like Kevin, who knows the show so well. It's impossible to stump him on anything.

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